Gary Chiappetta, president and managing partner of Kaleidoscope, offers insights into large scale package replicas to showcase brand packaging and create brand awareness in retail locations.

Versatile new packaging innovation can be defined as evolution in packaging through color, form and function. Unique color palettes, structurally different primary packaging and new functional components and accents are quickly becoming main stream innovations tactics. However, some brand managers are driving packaging design by what their consumer want on their packaging. Wrigley Gum has just launched a unique packaging for their brand MyExtra, where consumers can customize the packaging for their own gum package. Consumers can go to the Wrigley website and upload themes and pictures to customize their own personal gum packaging, whether it is for a daughter’s birthday, Halloween candy giveaways or even marketing for your business.

Consumers can create their own customized packaging

Where most brand owners would cringe, stomp their feet or throw some form of temper tantrum before they let consumers play with their brand manual, Extra Gum has a different strategy. Product differentiation through direct consumer demand. Wrigley’s customer focused engagement strategy for their primary gum packaging is what’s helping them stand out in the crowd and effectively delivering product samples to end users.

Brand marketeers are constantly challenged with launching new product line extensions, flavors and new packaging designs. The most common brand validation is to promote new brands to the masses in the form of sales samples. From street side giveaways to tradeshow promotions brand managers are always giving the the latest and greatest product samples.

However, a growing interest in large scale models and props has begun to emerge. Brands such as Viva Paper Towels, Heinz Ketchup, Craftsman Wrenches and A1 Steak Sauce have all sought larger than life brand samples over the last year. These sample product packages, some as large as six-feet tall, are not consumable but have a lasting effect on consumers.

Heinz Ketchup most recently had Kaleidoscope build a five-foot tall Heinz Ketchup upside down bottle for the press conference when they announced their partnership with Coca-Cola to begin using the eco-friendly plastic bottle technology. This has become a very different way to showcase brand packaging samples for retailers.

Heinz partners with Coca-Cola to create a more eco-friendly bottle